Betty – Gerhard Richter

A photo painting by Gerhard Richter of his daughter Betty.

I love the clarity created by the contrast of colour against the dark background, and then the additional level of contrast created by the intermixing of the sharp aspects of the painting (the solid background, the details in the jacket) and the soft, blurred aspects (most noticeably the model’s hair). The sharp edge of this contrast, though, is softened by the blending of red and black in the background – but it’s not very visible in the image above. There’s also that dynamic sense in this painting, the sense of frozen or captured time. It arouses a kind of curiosity in the viewer, yes? towards what the subject of the portrait is looking at, or who she is answering. And of course, there’s the pure technical skill in the rendering of this incredibly life-like painting. Like a photograph in its precision, yet with the touch of the personal, that care, which a painting can convey. One of my admired artists.